One New Jersey hospital in the front lines of fighting the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak shows startling statistics as its section of the Garden State braces for more cases.
Of 11 cases at Holy Name Medical Center, six are in the ICU, and all six are men between the ages of 28 to 48, according to a story by ROI-NJ. Forty more patients are under observation at the Teaneck, NJ hospital, according to CEO Mike Maron.
“From what we’ve seen, it’s not impacting children at all — or pretty much anybody under 20,” he said. “That doesn’t mean they don’t have it. They may just process it in a better way, a faster way. That’s the beauty of being young.
“What we’ve seen in the patients who ultimately are positive is that things can turn very rapidly. We had a patient that we were thinking about releasing — he seemingly was recovering — and then, two days later, he was put in the ICU. The flu isn’t like that. People need to know this.”
Teaneck, in Bergen County, is “ground zero” for the coronavirus, Mayor Mohammed Hameeduddin said, according to the New York Post. They are urged only to leave home for food or medicine.
“We don’t have enough test kits, every day more and more people will be getting sick. We need everyone to understand that they can infect someone or someone can infect you,” he added.
“When I say stay home that doesn’t mean go out to lunch with your friends across the street. That means no playdates, that means your nuclear family stays with your nuclear family.”
New Jersey’s virus numbers are growing.
The state received 31 new positive test results, bringing the total virus cases to 98, according to a story by WPVI. The second fatality was announced Saturday — a woman in her 50s at CentraState Medical Center in Monmouth County.
The state is taking a number of measures to halt the spread.
Also, the chief justice of New Jersey’s court system said there would be a two-week suspension of municipal court sessions. There will be a two-month extension of expiration dates for driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations and inspection stickers.
All public and private schools in the state likely will be ordered to close, Gov. Phil Murphy said.
NJ.com reported that two factors that may change Murphy’s mind about closing schools are some students’ lack of access to meals and a computer or other device to participate in online learning.
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Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes.
Photo “Holy Name Medical Center George P. Pitkin MD Emergency Care Center” by Holy Name Medical Center.
